1. Field of the Invention
This concept relates to containment vessels in general and, particularly, to a sample containment vessel assembly for extracting fats from samples using supercritical fluid extraction techniques.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has become important to be able to determine the amount and type of fat within a product. Devices for extracting and measuring the fat content of products have been around for some time. One type of system utilizes pressurized fluid as a solvent to remove fats or other constituents from the sample. This process, generally known as supercritical fluid extraction, requires that the fluid pass through the sample under pressure in order to mobilize the constituent of interest. The pressures required to carry out the process may be on the order of thousands of pounds per square inch. Containment vessels for retaining the sample were required which would not rupture under such pressures. The containment vessels typically consisted of a steel housing threaded at each end and sealed by large, bulky threaded plugs. The plugs were then attached by threaded fittings to the pressure source and the sample receiving container.
The disadvantage with the prior systems is that the operator needed to connect and disconnect the fittings and the plugs before and after each sampling. This increased the sampling time, and as a direct result, the overall cost of conducting the procedure. Furthermore, the containment vessels were often very large in order to contain the sample under pressure. The concept disclosed and claimed herein provides rapid sample loading and unloading, and automatically seals the sample within a much smaller containment vessel than previously achieved, resulting in increased production and reduced cost.